Aron | |
---|---|
아론 | |
Born | Aaron Kwak [1] May 21, 1993 [2] Los Angeles, California, United States |
Education | Loyola High School |
Occupations |
|
Musical career | |
Genres | K-pop |
Years active | 2012–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 곽영민 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Gwak Yeong-min |
McCune–Reischauer | Kwak Yŏngmin |
Stage name | |
Hangul | 아론 |
Revised Romanization | Aron |
McCune–Reischauer | Alon |
Signature | |
Aaron Kwak (born May 21,1993),formerly known by the stage name Aron,is an American media personality,singer,and rapper based in South Korea. He began his professional career in 2012 as a main rapper of the South Korean boy group NU'EST. Following his contract's expiration with Pledis Entertainment in 2022,Aron established his solo career as a freelance radio and television host,appearing in various South Korean programs.
Aron was born on May 21,1993,in Los Angeles,California. [3] He attended Loyola High School and was on the varsity golf team,earning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2008 from Daniel Murphy High School. [1] [4] He tested within the top 0.5% on the SATs with a score of 2180 out of 2400. [5] Aron had been accepted into New York University and intended to major in journalism but ultimately did not attend after choosing to become a singer. [3] [5] [6]
While attending the LA Korean Festival in 2009,Aron was invited to take part in the Pledis USA Personal Auditions,where he performed "So Sick" by Ne-Yo and participated in a one-week trial boot camp in South Korea. [7] [8] He subsequently signed with Pledis Entertainment. [7] After finishing high school,he returned to South Korea and trained for nine months. [7] Prior to debuting,Aron appeared as a back-up dancer in After School Blue's "Wonder Boy" in 2011. He participated in Pledis Entertainment's Christmas single "Love Letter" and was also featured in an alternate music video for the song as a member of Pledis Boys. [9] He performed with After School with the rest of Pledis Boys,now dubbed "After School Boys",at the SBS Gayo Daejeon . [10]
Along with four other Pledis Boys, Aron debuted in the boy band NU'EST in 2012 as a sub-vocalist. From April 8, 2013, to April 19, 2015, he hosted Arirang Radio's Music Access radio program. [3] In 2014, he was featured as a guest artist on the song "Got it Figured Out" by Chad Future. [11] [12] From August 14, 2015, to April 24, 2016, he hosted his own radio show, Aron's Hangout, on SBS PopAsia. [13] [14]
From 2017 to 2018, Aron promoted with the other NU'EST members as the sub-group NU'EST W in the absence of Minhyun, who was exclusively promoting with Wanna One at the time. [15] During the group's activity, he wrote the lyrics for his solo songs, "Good Love" and "Wi-Fi." [16] [17] He was also featured as a guest artist on the song "Loop" by Raina. [18]
From 2020 to 2021, Aron hosted the radio show "To.Night" on Naver NOW with bandmate Ren. [19] [20]
It was announced on February 28, 2022, that NU'EST's exclusive contract with Pledis Entertainment will expire on March 14, 2022, and that Aron (alongside members JR and Ren) will leave the agency, therefore concluding their 10-year career as a group. [21]
On March 21, 2022, Aron announced he was hosting a podcast titled Korean Cowboys with South Korean television personality Joel Lane. [22]
In May 2022, Aron was introduced as a host for the second season of Real Korea 5, a lifestyle channel. Within the same month, Aron held his first solo fan meeting at the Yonsei University's Centennial Memorial Hall to celebrate his 30th birthday with the fans.
In July 2022, Aron became a co-host of the Arirang TV talk show After School Club.
In November 2022, Aron opened his private messaging service thru Wonderwall's "Fromm".
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales (DL) | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
KOR [23] | |||||
"Got it Figured Out" (Chad Future feat. NU'EST's Aron) | 2014 | — | — | Chad Future: The First Mini Album | |
"Loop" (밥 영화 카페) (Raina feat. Aron of NU'EST) | 2017 | 55 |
| Loop | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022–present | After School Club | Host | [25] | |
Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2013–2015 | Music Access | DJ | [3] |
2015–2016 | Aron's Hangout | [13] [14] | |
2020–2021 | To.Night | [19] [20] | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2022-present | Korean Cowboys | Co-host | Podcast | [26] |
Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Fact Music Awards | 2018 | Fan N Star Hall of Fame Award | Aron | Won | [27] |
SBS Gayo Daejeon is an annual televised music festival that is broadcast by the Seoul Broadcasting System at the end of each year. The program first aired in 1997, and awards were given to musical artists from 1997 to 2006. The awards ceremony portion of the festival was revived in 2014 and discontinued the following year.
Pledis Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company founded by Han Sung-Soo in 2007. The label is home to Bumzu, Hwang Min-hyun, Baekho, and groups Seventeen, Fromis 9 and TWS. Its name originates from the Pleiades, a star cluster in the constellation Taurus.
NU'EST was a South Korean boy band formed and managed by Pledis Entertainment. The group consisted of five members: JR, Aron, Baekho, Minhyun, and Ren. They debuted on March 15, 2012, with the single titled "Face". The group disbanded on March 15, 2022, after Aron, JR, and Ren left Pledis Entertainment upon the completion of their 10-year contract.
Oh Hye-rin, better known by her stage name Raina, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a former member of the South Korean girl group After School and member of the sub-unit Orange Caramel. Raina debuted with the group in November 2009 following the release of the group's third single, "Because of You". She debuted as a solo singer in September 2014 with the single "You End, And Me".
Jang Do-yoon is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in the 2013 drama special Happy! Rose Day. His fans are called "Doflowers" or "도바라기" which combines the words "Doyoon" and "Sunflower".
Hwang Min-hyun, known mononymously as Minhyun, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and actor. He began his career, debuting as a member of the South Korean boy band NU'EST in March 2012. In 2017, he participated in second season of Produce 101 and finished ninth place, becoming a member of Wanna One. Following Wanna One's disbandment, Hwang returned to NU'EST, remaining until the group's disbandment in 2022. He is a solo artist and actor signed under Pledis Entertainment.
Kang Dong-ho, known professionally as Baekho (Korean: 백호), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor signed under Pledis Entertainment. Formerly the main vocalist and music producer of South Korean boy group NU'EST, Baekho made his debut as a solo artist in October 2022 with the release of his first extended play Absolute Zero. Known for his powerhouse vocals and powerful physique, he has been dubbed the "Sexy Icon" of his generation.
NU'EST W was the second sub-unit of South Korean boy band NU'EST. The group consisted of NU'EST members: JR, Aron, Baekho, and Ren, promoting in the absence of Minhyun, who at the time was promoting with Wanna One. The group disbanded following the return of Minhyun on December 31, 2018.
W, Here is the debut extended play by NU'EST W, a subgroup of the South Korean boy band NU'EST. It was released on October 10, 2017, by Pledis Entertainment. The EP features six tracks in total including the lead single "Where You At".
Kim Jong-hyeon, formerly known by his stage name JR, is a South Korean singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as the leader, main dancer and main rapper of South Korean boy group NU'EST. Following his contract expiration with Pledis Entertainment in 2022, Kim signed an exclusive contract as a soloist and actor under Evermore Entertainment, debuting with the release of his first extended play Meridiem on November 8, 2022.
Kye Beom-ju, better known by the stage name Bumzu, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bumzu is best known for writing and producing much of the discographies of boy bands NU'EST and Seventeen.
The Table is the seventh Korean extended play by the South Korean boy band NU'EST, released on October 21, 2019.
Happily Ever After is the sixth Korean extended play by the South Korean boy band NU'EST, released on April 29, 2019.
Choi Min-gi, known professionally as Ren (Korean: 렌), is a South Korean singer, actor and television personality. He began his professional career in 2012 as a vocalist of the South Korean boy group NU'EST. Following his contract's expiration in Pledis Entertainment in March 2022, Choi established his career as a solo artist signed under BPM Entertainment.
Romanticize is the second and final full-length studio album by the South Korean boyband NU'EST, released on April 19, 2021. This is NU'EST's first Korean full-length album since 2014's Re:Birth. The album has 10 tracks including the lead single "Inside Out".
BPM Entertainment (Korean: 빅플래닛메이드), also known as Big Planet Made, is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2021. Co-founded by rapper MC Mong and Duble Sidekick member Park Jang-geun, it is a subsidiary of the company One Hundred. BPM has a strategic alliance with Swing Entertainment, a subsidiary of CJ ENM, and Million Market, another subsidiary of One Hundred.
Needle & Bubble is the first and only compilation album by South Korean boy band NU'EST. It was released on March 15, 2022, through Pledis Entertainment. The ten-track album comprises remastered and alternative versions of previously released songs, including the lead single "Again". The album is the band's final release prior to the expiration of their ten-year contract with Pledis and simultaneous disbandment in March 2022.
"Left & Right" is a song by South Korean boy group Seventeen. It was released as the lead single from their 2020 extended play, Heng:garæ, on June 22, 2020.
Kim Min-gyu, known mononymously as Mingyu (민규), is a South Korean rapper and singer. Managed by Pledis Entertainment, he is a member of the idol group Seventeen and its Hip Hop Team.
Jun Hyun-moo: A Catholic boys' school... / Aron: Yes, [my mom] sent me there on purpose. / Text: Loyola High School: Private Catholic boys' high school with 153 years of history in Los Angeles.
Text: Daniel Murphy High School, 2008 Varsity Golf, Rookie of the Year, Aaron Kwak / Aron: Rookie of the year. / Jun Hyun-moo: Award for rookies? / Aron: Yes. / Hyun-moo: In 2008? / Aron: Yes. Freshman in high school, in 2008.
Aron: So, um... I was accepted into New York University when I was in high school, but it wasn't like, the journalism... that part of the school, but I-I went in as undeclared, and I was going to study journal... journalism... So, I got accepted, but I never went.
Aaron: I was casted in 2009 in LA at a festival called JangTuh. [...] I got casted and there and I went to an audition. I sang "So Sick" by Ne-Yo. [...] But um, they actually called me — very similar to you — like, a week later, saying, "We wanna fly you out to Korea, you know, put you on, like, a training system for a week, and then, you know, like, we'll decide if we wanna sign you or not." So, I think that winter I went to Korea — came to Korea for like a week or two — trained, and I signed my official contract. And then [I] went back to the States, finished high school, came to Korea, trained for nine months, and debuted as a member of the K-pop group NU'EST.